John Smoltz goes to Red Sox and Braves feel the heat

In one sense, the Mets should be delighted that John Smoltz no longer will be tormenting them on a regular basis now that he is leaving the Braves to sign with the Red Sox. On the other hand, Smoltz's unexpected departure is likely to make the Mets' attempt to sign Derek Lowe significantly more difficult.

The Braves already had interest in Lowe, but their interest apparently has intensified since the club learned Smoltz was leaving for the Red Sox. Braves officials met with agent Scott Boras in Atlanta yesterday to discuss a deal for Lowe, and they may well feel a need to sign Lowe as a response to losing Smoltz.

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The Braves are taking plenty of criticism over the Smoltz departure, some of it from their biggest star, Chipper Jones. The long-time third baseman was quoted by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution saying he was frustrated not only by seeing Smoltz leave but by the relative lack of action by the Braves this offseason.

Jones made it clear he was upset the Braves weren't willing to offer as much as the Red Sox to keep Smoltz, who is rehabbing from shoulder surgery and probably won't pitch until at least late May. The Sox have agreed on a guaranteed $5.5 million contract plus $5 million in incentives, pending a physical, while the Braves offered $2 million guaranteed and $8 million in incentives.

"I'm trying to be as diplomatic and as upbeat as I possibly can and it's being made very hard on me," Jones said. "John Smoltz has been one of the faces of this franchise for 20 years. There's no reason for him at 41 years old to be playing anywhere but here.

"The one silver lining we had was John Smoltz being back in the lineup this year. We could have had that dominant guy back in the lineup. But we won't - and for what, a couple of million dollars? Never in a million years did I think this day would come for John Smoltz."

That type of criticism might well motivate the Braves to go the extra mile to sign Lowe. Braves' insiders said the club previously had no intention of bidding more than the Mets' offer of three years, $36 million, but they believe public pressure over the Smoltz departure could force their hand.

"They have to do something to try and appease the fans," one person close to the situation said Thursday night. "Smoltz is a huge favorite here. People are screaming about it. And Chipper speaking up really turns up the heat on the ballclub."

Already this had been an offseason of frustration for the Braves and their fans. The Braves made a run at A.J. Burnett before the Yankees signed him, and they were involved in talks about a trade for Jake Peavy before deeming it too costly and making a trade with the White Sox for Javier Vazquez instead.

When the Braves set up their meeting with Lowe, they had Jones make a recruiting call to speak to the righthander, but that was before Jones learned Smoltz would be leaving.

"He is definitely interested, but this carnage that just happened is not going to be very appealing," Jones said Thursday.

Even so, Lowe reportedly has very high regard for long-time Braves manager Bobby Cox, having played for him on an All-Star team that toured Japan eight years ago.

So it remains to be seen if this sets up a bidding war between the Mets and Braves. Mets people have said privately they are prepared to add more dollars to their offer, from $36 million to something around $40 million, if a deal is in sight, but they have been firm in saying they won't go beyond three years in length.

If that's not enough, the Mets have indicated they will move on to pursue Oliver Perez, or perhaps Randy Wolf, as well as Tim Redding, a potential No. 5 starter to whom they've already made an offer.